Experiencing High Stress Level? Explore These Science-Supported Strategies for Reducing Stress Intensity
In the face of the ever-increasing pressures of modern life, managing stress has become a crucial skill. A simple yet effective acronym, S.T.O.P, can help individuals navigate stressful situations: Stop, Take a breath, Observe, and Proceed. However, experts suggest that a more profound approach involves approaching stress with curiosity and compassion.
This mindful and intentional shift in how we relate to our emotions and experiences helps build resilience and calm the mind. Pausing and questioning the experience, rather than reacting impulsively, is a key strategy. Reflective questions such as "What's really happening here?" or "What is behind this feeling?" invite a curious stance towards stress instead of judgment or avoidance.
Labeling and reinterpreting emotions is another crucial step. By naming specific emotions felt during stress and understanding their physical sensations, individuals can detach from automatic negative interpretations. For example, recognizing that anxiety's pounding heart can also signal excitement allows one to reframe the experience with a positive meaning.
Practicing self-compassion is equally important. Treating oneself with the same kindness and understanding that one would offer a friend during difficult moments builds resilience. Self-compassion reduces shame and harsh self-criticism, enhances psychological flexibility, and helps maintain emotional balance amid stress.
Maintaining mindfulness and openness is also vital. Mindfulness cultivates an open, non-judgmental awareness of one's present experience, allowing one to observe stress and emotional discomfort without being overwhelmed. This non-reactive attention promotes acceptance and reduces rumination, helping keep the mind calm.
Reframing one's relationship with emotions is another crucial step. Instead of battling or suppressing stress and fear, experts encourage approaching these feelings with curiosity and openness—seeing them as information to understand rather than enemies to defeat. This stance transforms traumatic or stressful narratives into ones of growth and resilience.
Using journaling and active listening can deepen understanding and foster compassion for oneself and others, reinforcing resilience. Creative ways to connect with others include religious groups, sports, shopping, cafes, libraries, meetup groups, or online communities.
In summary, curiosity invites exploration of stressful experiences without judgment, while compassion offers kindness and acceptance. Together, they create a flexible and resilient mindset that calms the mind and supports adaptive coping in the face of stress.
Jennifer Lee, CPT, TTS, the lead lifestyle counselor with our medical center's Center for Community Health & Prevention, emphasizes the importance of this approach. Michael Krasner, MD, a professor emeritus of Medicine at UR Medicine, also coaches health care providers in mindful practice. According to University of Rochester psychologists, reevaluating how one perceives stress can improve mental health, wellbeing, and success.
In addition, learning to react more calmly to stress triggers can help reduce the perceived threat of stress over time. During the stress response, blood flow is redirected to organs that need it the most, such as the brain, heart, and lungs. However, it's essential to remember that our bodies do not distinguish between "real" vs "imagined" stress.
Affirmations, such as "What I'm feeling is not wrong" or "I'm worthy of forgiveness and understanding," can help manage stress. Box breathing, involving breathing in for four seconds, holding for four seconds, breathing out for four seconds, and holding for four seconds before repeating, is another effective technique.
Social connection releases the hormone oxytocin, known as "the cuddle hormone" or "love hormone," which reinforces the urge to connect with others. A sense of belonging leads to psychological safety, further aiding in stress management. Recognizing and reacting to stress with empathy when it's just an imagined danger builds resilience. Stress occurs when a person perceives a threat, real or imagined, triggering the "fight, flight, or freeze" response.
"Noting the significance of self-compassion in managing stress, Jennifer Lee, a lead lifestyle counselor, underlines its importance in helping individuals become more resilient and adaptive."
"The practicing of mindfulness and openness, as encouraged by University of Rochester psychologists, is essential in reevaluating one's perception of stress, consequently improving mental health, wellbeing, and success."
